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Sunday, July 29, 2012

We had an eventful day today. We woke up to discover that our power (which went out at 9pm last night during a crazy thunderstorm) was still out. This meant that before church we dragged our new generator (thank you, Mum and Dad!) out of the garage and got our fridge and freezer working again. Can I just tell you how much I really didn't want to lose my new Omaha Steaks?? The power came on again around 3 and all was well. Mostly I was just excited to use the generator, which we figured simply owning would ensure that we never needed it.

Lesson learned, Hurricane Irene, lesson learned.

But since this blog is really a memory book for our family as much as it is anything, I figured it was time to start writing down more of the things I don't want to forget.

Like dinner tonight.

We got a late start on dinner (cause someone triple parked us at the park this afternoon, but that's another story) so I had leftover pizza, Jason had salad and Max was eating Spaghettios and chocolate milk. Actually it was pretty cute; Max spent the first part of his meal looking for the chicken (meatballs) that were hiding and crowing with triumph when he found one. But then he got bored and so dumped his chocolate milk into his bowl. He ate it, of course. I laughed, Jason thought it was going to make him puke, and Max thought it tasted just fine.

Now that in itself is not to far outside of normal at our house. I have seen any number of gross concoctions from a kid who thinks the ingestion of literally any plant matter might kill him.

It was when he started drinking it all though the bendy straw that dinner really became memorable.

I am kicking myself for not immediately pulling out the video camera, but at least it's here now.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

I know, I know -- it's been too long. I have excuses, all sorts of them. But the truth? Well the truth is that my life has simply been too full for the last couple months to worry about the blog! And I had meant to post at our 4-month-home mark, but I missed it (I blame the family we had in town at the time) and so I couldn't let this one go by too!

But as I look back at the last five months with Max I can't wrap my head around how much all of our lives have changed.

When we first brought him home his only words were "beep beep" and "moo". Yesterday at lunch I asked him if he wanted milk or juice and he told me very succinctly: "Chocolate milk." It sounded more like "oka mik" than anything that you or I might say, but I thought it was pretty awesome for a little guy who literally hadn't spoken before March.

Remember the little guy who wouldn't let me cuddle him after smacking his forehead on the end table? As you recall we were practicing putting Band-Aids on owies, right? Well the other day, he wanted to wear some (without the owie, but he had just watched his cousin put one on, so what's a mom to do?) and he was so proud of them that after they loosened in the bath he laid them across his pillow at bedtime. In fact we had to tear the whole bed apart when when of them got lost in the blankets.

When we first brought him back there was a part of me that would dread taking him for walks around the neighborhood, because we would inevitably run into someone that he decided he wanted to go home with. I have this distinct memory of nearly wailing in pain and frustration during the first couple weeks home when we ran into a neighbor and her young daughter who is just a year older than Max. It was still cold, but we were playing with sidewalk chalk anyway, and Max kept running to her for hugs and clinging to her legs. It wasn't unexpected behavior, but it still hurt to watch (since I was still persona non grata at the time and was lucky if he would hug or touch me at all). We ran into them again a few days ago and what a difference! He and the little girl played with sticks and wheelbarrows and every few minutes he would look up and call for me to come over and see what he was doing. The other mom might as well not have existed.

I think I mentioned once or twice that I was pretty much chopped liver in his world at the beginning, right? I had read my adoption books, and I knew it wasn't uncommon for a toddler especially to reject one parent for awhile but phew! -- nothing comes close to expressing how awful that experience actually is! Those days are a distant memory now. I wish I could say when it changed, but it was sometime between Easter and Mother's Day. These days I'm barely allowed to be across the room from him. If we are hanging out, he's in my lap. We dance and sing and he doesn't mind holding my hand in parking lots (ok, he doesn't mind any more than any other opinionated, stubborn, and rambunctious two-and-a-half-year-old).

The past few months have been remarkable. Incredible really. Hard and exhausting, well sure. Duh. But every day there is a moment. Maybe he's playing with his food. Maybe he's putting his animals in the barn by family group (he is OBSESSED with the idea of family right now -- everything from people to trucks gets organized into Papas, Mamas, and Babies). Maybe he's dancing in front of the TV or climbing the rock wall at the park by himself. Who knows. And then I have that moment when my whole heart smiles, and I think to myself, "I love this little guy. More than anything else in the world, I love this little guy."

(Oh, and if you want to know what we've been doing, scroll down...)

We've been playing in fountains with very clear "No Wading" signs.

We've spent lots of time at the park.

We've been filling all the local ponds with rocks. I expect a county water supply shortage any day now.